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Sometimes, children are not as innocent as they look. Shockingly, some of the most brutal murders in history were done by kids. Although the killings might be a result of years of unimaginable abuse, some of these evil children killed with absolutely no apparent motive. Here are the top 10 most evil children in history.

1. Brenda Ann Spencer

Sixteen years old Brenda Ann Spencer shot and killed The Cleveland Elementary School’s principal and a custodian, and injured eight children and a police officer in the school shooting.

In 1978, her parents were informed that she was suffering from depression. And in the summer of the same year, she was arrested for shooting out the windows of Cleveland Elementary with a gun. Her father refused to let her be admitted to a mental hospital. Christmas time came, and she was given a semi-automatic rifle as a present by her father. She later stated that she had asked for a radio, but he bought her a gun, and she suspects that it was given to her because he wanted her to commit suicide.

In 1979, Brenda began shooting Cleveland Elementary from her home using the telescopic sight of the rifle. The principle, Burton Wragg was shot while trying to help the children. Mike Suchar, the custodian, was also killed trying to help Wragg. She injured eight children as well and shot a police officer in the neck. She had a phone conversation with a journalist while barricading herself in her home. He reported that when he asked her about the reason behind the shooting, she replied with ‘I don’t like Mondays’ which became a widely known quote.

2. Joseph McVay

It all started with an argument; An argument that ended up with the murder of 46 years old Deborah McVay.

In 2011, after a 911 call by a neighbor, the dead body of the mother of three Deborah McVay was found lying face down in their family home. The youngest out of her children, named Joseph McVay, confessed to the murder of his mom. The motive behind the killing? An argument over a chore.

Perhaps the argument was the last straw for Joseph after it was revealed that his mother was both verbally and emotionally abusive to him. He was abused by both of his parents, which led to him acting out and showing sign of aggression and violence.

A few incidents at the school in previous years were also revealed. But other than that, he was described as being a kind and polite kid by school officials. It is believed that his recent angry outbursts were caused by the separation of his parents, just weeks before the murder.

On January 2nd, after Deborah had asked Joseph to bring firewood from outside, they started to argue. The argument triggered him, and after telling his 15 years old sister that he was tired of fighting with his mom, he grabbed one of his guns from his bedroom and shot Deborah in the head. His sister begged him to spare her life after witnessing the murder. He left the residence to the neighbor’s house and admitted to shooting his mother, asking them to call the police and for an ambulance. The gun he used was one of the many firearms that his father had given him. And even though Deborah did not approve giving a gun to a 10-year-old, his father disagreed and let him keep the weapons in his room.

3. Jasmine Richardson

On the fateful night of April 23rd, 2006, 12 years old Jasmine Richardson and her 23 years old boyfriend Jeremy Steinke murdered her parents and her younger brother in cold blood. Richardson is considered to be the youngest person ever charged with multiple counts of murder in Canada.

Jasmine Richardson met Jeremy Steinke at a punk rock concert, and they instantly clicked. He was a goth and a self-proclaimed 300 years old werewolf. Jasmine was attracted to his lifestyle, and they fell in love. However, her parents did not approve of the relationship, which eventually led to their murder.

The couple saw that forbidding them to see each other by her parents was a good enough reason to kill them. Jasmine had mentioned before to her friends that she was planning to kill her parents, but none of them took the claims seriously. Steinke attacked Jasmine’s mother and father at first, stabbing both of them to death. He then went upstairs to Jasmine, who has then stabbed her eight years old brother who pled to her not to kill him. Steinke killed him by slitting his throat. In court, she stated that she didn’t want to leave her little brother without his parents, and that was the motive of killing him. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison, which is the maximum sentence for any convict under the age of 14. Her boyfriend was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 2012, Jasmine was released and became a student at Mount Royal University in Alberta.

4. Joshua Phillips

Maddie Clifton was only eight years old when Joshua Phillips brutally murdered her. Her parents had reported her missing, and after interviewing close neighbors, they had one in mind that could have possibly committed the crime. He had been charged in two sexual battery cases and had been arrested before. However, it turned out that they had the wrong man.

A week after the disappearance of Maddie, Melissa Phillips, Joshua’s mother, found her body underneath his bed. She thought that his waterbed was leaking, and after inspecting it, she saw the body. He was arrested and confessed to the murder. According to him, the two of them were playing, and he accidentally hit her with a baseball bat. He brought her to his room but feared his dad’s reaction, so he beat up to a pulp with a baseball bat before stabbing her to death.

5. Lionel Tate

Lionel Tate is considered to be the youngest person in the United States ever sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. In 1999, the victim’s mother had asked Lionel’s mother Kathleen to babysit six years old Tiffany Eunick for the evening. The mothers were close friends and grew up together in Jamaica.

Lionel Tate, aged 12, was watching TV with Tiffany while the mother went upstairs after dinner. At 10 PM, she shouted at them to quiet down after being too loud. Approximately after 40 minutes later, Lionel went to his mother and stated that Tiffany was not breathing. The two had been wrestling, and Tiffany was only a third of his size. He smashed her head on the side of the table and went on to watch TV. When his mother got to her, she was cold and not breathing. The injuries he caused were comparable to falling from a three-story building.

6. Cody Posey

Physical, emotional and mental abuse for years is the sole cause that led Cody Posey, a 14 years old boy from New Mexico, to kill his family. At ten years old, he was involved in a car accident with his mother that had been recently awarded custody of her son and starting a new life away from her abusive husband. He survived but unfortunately witnessed the death of his mother in front of his own eyes. He was put back in the custody of his father and suffered from gross abuse for years from him and the stepmother.

On the 4th of July, he finally snapped and shot his dad, his step-mother and step-sister with a shotgun.

7. George Stinney

George Stinney, from South Carolina, is the youngest person to be sentenced to execution in the 20th century. On June 16, 1944, 14-year-old George Stinney confessed to the killing of two girls after admitting to wanting to have sex with one of them. The girls were beaten with a railroad spike and dumped in a water ditch.

An all-white jury tried him, and the validity of his confession has been questioned. He was sentenced to be executed by electric chair.

8. Eric Smith

Born in 1980, Eric Smith managed to make it to the national headlines after murdering and mutilating four years old Derrick Robie. Eric Smith was described as longer according to court documents. His red hair, low set ears, and thick glasses made him a target for bullies.

In the summer of 1993, Eric was attending a recreation program that his victim, Derrick Robie, was participating as well. Due to Derrick’s little brother being fussy, his mother lets him go to the program on his own. It was only a block away from his home, and it didn’t seem like a big deal. His body was found on the same day in the woods. Eric had strangled the little boy and sodomized him with a stick that he had found.

9. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables

A CCTV surveillance tape from a shopping center in Bootle showed the two boys watching little children, apparently finding a target. While inside a butcher shop, James’s mom was temporarily distracted and realized that her son had disappeared. Robert and Jon took his hand and led him out of the shopping center. They went to Liverpool Canal and dropped him on his head. Some people intervened, but they convinced them that he was their little brother. They tortured him and eventually dropped a 22-pound iron bar on his head before leaving him on the train tracks. His body, cut in half, was found two days later.

10. Mary Bell

Originally born in England, Mary Flora Bell was only 10 when she committed the horrific act of murder. She was to a single mother who was frequently absent from their family home. While a young child, according to family members her mother had attempted to kill her and make her death look accidental. Mary was also subjected to sexual abuse from the young age of four.

In 1968 on a summer day in Scotswood, police found the body of 4-year-old Martin Brown. His lifeless body was laying on the floor with blood and saliva running down his cheek. At first, it was believed that Brown’s death was accidental, but when another murder occurred in the area, the community began panicking. It was the death of Brian Howe, a 3-year-old boy. He was found strangled in an area children usually went there to play. He had puncture wounds on his body, including one that looked like the letter ‘M’.

After questioning the children in the area, two children, in particular, seemed strange. Norma Bell, and Mary Bell. They questioned both of them, and it became clear that one of them had murdered the two boys. During questioning, Norma admitted that Mary had told her that she strangled and killed Brian, and she had enjoyed it. She also added that she was there when he was killed. The police found enough evidence and both girls were charged with two counts of manslaughter. Court psychologists said that Mary showed signs of psychopathy. In 1980, Mary was released from prison after serving 12 years and was granted anonymity to start a new life.

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